The U.S. Department of Energy has removed roughly 6,000 web pages related to energy conservation, a move that critics say endangers public safety as a record-breaking heatwave continues to grip much of the country. The deletions, which occurred without public announcement, targeted pages containing practical advice on reducing energy use, including recommended thermostat settings, water-saving tips, home insulation guides, and information about the department's solar decathlon competition.
The timing of the deletions has drawn sharp scrutiny. They came shortly after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce strain on the electrical grid during the extreme heat. That simple, science-based recommendation was met with a firestorm of criticism from prominent Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina. They framed the advice as an act of socialism and, bizarrely, as an attack on women experiencing menopause.
The irony is that the same advice has been official policy for decades. The Department of Energy’s own guidelines have long recommended setting thermostats between 75 and 78 degrees during summer months. Republican governors in deep-red states, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have issued identical recommendations during past heatwaves. The deleted pages included those very guidelines, leaving Americans without official government resources on how to stay safe and conserve energy during extreme heat events.
The Trump administration’s purge was broad and indiscriminate. In addition to thermostat recommendations, the deletions swept away pages on water conservation, types of insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and the department’s Solar Decathlon — a competition that challenges collegiate teams to design and build highly efficient, solar-powered homes. These resources, which had been publicly available for years, were suddenly gone, replaced only by error messages. The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine has preserved many of the missing pages, but for casual users the information is now much harder to find.
The heatwave itself is historic. New York City recorded four consecutive days with temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, including two days that exceeded 100 degrees. Such conditions place immense stress on the electrical grid, especially during a holiday weekend when many people are home and running air conditioners. Setting thermostats to 78 degrees not only saves energy but also helps prevent blackouts, which can leave millions without cooling and vulnerable to heat-related illness or death.
The stakes are life-and-death. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, extreme heat is responsible for more deaths in the United States each year than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined. Yet this administration has chosen to eliminate the very information that could help citizens protect themselves.
This is not an isolated incident. The Trump administration has a history of removing climate and energy content from government websites. During his first term, the Environmental Protection Agency scrubbed pages on climate change, and the Department of Energy’s website was overhauled to downplay renewable energy. These actions have been widely condemned by environmental groups, public health experts, and former government officials, who argue that they prioritize political optics over public safety.
The deletions also underscore a deeper ideological battle. Conservative outrage over Mamdani’s thermostat advice is part of a broader pattern of attacking even the mildest climate or energy-saving measures as government overreach. Yet polling consistently shows that Americans across the political spectrum support energy efficiency and conservation. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 72 percent of U.S. adults, including majorities of Republicans, favor requiring utilities to provide more energy from renewable sources. And 85 percent say the government should do more to help homeowners make energy-efficient upgrades.
Behind the political theater lies a serious crisis. The heatwave affecting the eastern United States is part of a global trend of rising temperatures driven by climate change. July 2026 is on track to be the hottest month on record, surpassing previous highs set in 2023 and 2024. Scientists warn that without rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, such extreme heat events will become more frequent and intense, overwhelming power grids and causing widespread suffering.
In the face of that reality, deleting energy conservation websites is not just foolish — it is dangerous. Public health experts urge governments to disseminate clear, accessible information on how to stay cool, when to seek medical help, and how to reduce energy demand during heatwaves. By removing that information, this administration is effectively leaving citizens to fend for themselves.
Fortunately, some of the deleted content has been preserved by non-profit organizations and independent archivists. The Internet Archive has made a dedicated collection of the removed pages available, allowing researchers and the public to access the original materials. But that is no substitute for having the information on the official .gov domain, where it can be easily found by people who need it most.
Moving forward, the Department of Energy’s actions will likely face legal challenges. Several advocacy groups are already preparing lawsuits arguing that the deletions violate the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Federal Records Act, which require agencies to maintain public records and follow proper procedures for removing information. Meanwhile, some members of Congress have called for hearings to investigate the deletions and push for the restoration of the pages.
As the heatwave continues, the consequences of these deletions will become increasingly apparent. Millions of Americans will search online for guidance on how to stay safe in extreme heat, only to find empty pages. Their health and lives depend on accurate, timely information — and this administration has chosen to withhold it.
Source: The Verge News